African Bush Elephant
Perhaps one of the world’s most emotive and iconic animals, the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest living terrestrial mammal, with the largest recorded individual reaching a massive four metres at the shoulder and weighing an impressive ten tonnes. The African bush elephant’s brain is bigger than that of any other animal and its skull is exceptionally large, having evolved to support the trunk and the heavy teeth and jaws. The skull comprises up to 25 percent of the elephant’s total body weight. Elephants are unusual among mammals in that they continue to grow throughout their life, although the rate at which they grow slows after they reach sexual maturity. The hefty body of the African bush elephant is supported by stocky, pillar-like legs which have thick, heavy, vertically-aligned bones.The African bush elephant has four toes on the forefeet and three toes on the hind feet, unlike both the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), which each have five toes on the front feet and four toes on the hind feet. The feet are broad and the toes are embedded in a fatty substance which cushions the weight of the animal and enables it to move more quietly. The thick skin of the African bush elephant is generally dull brownish-grey, with a sparse scattering of black, bristly hairs. The skin is wrinkly and adapted for keeping the body cool, as the wrinkles increase the surface area of the skin, trapping moisture which then takes much longer to evaporate than if the skin was smooth. The end of the tail is flattened and has a tuft of coarse, crooked hairs. characteristic outward-curving tusks of the African bush elephant are actually elongated upper incisors, which are formed from a unique composition of calcareous materials. Both the male and female African bush elephant have tusks and, like the rest of the body, the tusks continue to grow throughout the elephant’s life. The upper lip and nose of all elephant species are elongated and muscular, forming the distinctive trunk. The African bush elephant uses its trunk to form and amplify vocalisations, to feed from the ground and from trees and shrubs, to break off branches, and to pick leaves, shoots and fruits. It is also used to aid drinking, greeting, touching and other social behaviours. The end of the trunk has two prehensile finger-like lips which are covered in fine, sensory hairs. The large, oversized ears of the African bush elephant are distinguished from other elephant species by the presence of overhanging flaps along the upper edges. As well as playing a role in communication, the ears are also important in temperature regulation and heat loss. A rich network of blood vessels is found immediately beneath the thin skin which covers the back of the ears, and when temperatures rise the ears are fanned to help increase the flow of air and cool the blood through evaporation. African bush elephants use sounds well below the range of human hearing to communicate over long distances. An elephant can eat 600 pounds (272 kilograms) of food a day. Roles * It played Sulley in African Animals, Inc. * It played Vitruvius in The Animal Movie (NatureRules1 Version) * It played Elephant Abu in Aladdin (NatureRules1 Version) * It played Dim in A Wildlife's Life * It played Lord Rogers in The Artist Mare * It played Dallben in The Black Cauldron (NatureRules1 Version) * It played General Hologram in Wreck-It Ralph (NatureRules1 Version) * It played Basil in The Great Elephant Detective * It played Kion, Simba, Nala and other lions in The Elephant King (NatureRules1 Style) and The Elephant Guard * It played Snow White and her Prince in Elephant White and the Seven Jungle Cats (NatureRules1 Version) * It played Doc in Africa VI: The Secret of Animal Rock * It played Stove in Beauty and the Wildebeest * It played Ankylosaurus in Speckles the Leopard * It played Rockmobile in Wildlife Story (NatureRules1 Version) * They played Crush, Squirt and the Sea Turtles (along with African Forest Elephants and Asian Elephants) in Finding Nemo (NatureRules1 Version) * It played Archdeacon in The Hyena of Norte Dame * It played Shifu in Kung Fu Kangaroo * It played Manny in Animal Age (NatureRules1 Version) * It played Zordon in Beastly Morphin Power Rangers See Also * Asian Elephant * African Forest Elephant Gallery NEW_African_Bush_Elephant.jpg Httpsc2.staticflickr.com211181436095836 bfb1f4a485.jpg Elephant10.jpg 509 1young elephant.jpg Img 1750.jpg Lion-king-disneyscreencaps.com-175.jpg lion-king2-disneyscreencaps.com-14.jpg normal_TLG_S1_E13_0484.jpg PPG Elephants.jpg PPG Rule Elephant.png lionking3-disneyscreencaps.com-2960.jpg the-wild-disneyscreencaps.com-4681.jpg Category:Characters Category:Animals Category:African Animals Category:Elephants Category:The Lion King Animals Category:Night at the Museum Animals Category:Zootopia Animals Category:Fantasia Animals Category:The Lion Guard Animals Category:Madagascar Animals Category:Bedknobs and Broomsticks Animals Category:The Powerpuff Girls Animals Category:The Powerpuff Girls Movie Animals